The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

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Imagine being completely broke.

Your "home" has become a family members couch.

Your possessions have been reduced to a laptop and a suitcase of clothes.

As for a paycheck, your next paycheck is based on whatever odd jobs you can find.

Not exactly the American Dream, huh?

This is the exact situation I found myself in following a career ending injury in 2007 that took me from the AFL (Arena Football League) to my sister's couch.

Broke, broken and confused, I had no idea what was in store for me next and no idea what I was supposed to do with my life.

Facing Reality

It’s a strange place to find yourself. You've worked hard, made sacrifices and have finally achieved your dream. There’s really no words to describe the joy and satisfaction that comes with accomplishing something like that, but the reality is that goals are like anything else in life - temporary.

Anything, and I mean anything can be taken from us in a moments notice. It doesn't matter what it is - a car, a relationship, a loved one or even a career . Everything we "own" is on the table - that was the first thing I had to accept.

My second realization was that even though I would never play professional football again, I still possessed the characteristics of a professional athlete. Things like discipline, competitiveness and hustle don’t just disappear due to outside forces. Our character can only be surrendered and I had no intentions of putting up the white flag.

Finding the leverage Points

Every situation is going to have its unique benefits, you just have to find them and exploit them. No matter how bad it it may be, your perception of the situation is all that really matters.

The depression started to fade the moment I embraced the understanding that I would no longer be playing Pro football. Instead of saying to myself, "This is a bummer, my life is over. I didn't get my college degree and I have no back up plan." I shifted my message to: "I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to play professional football and achieve my childhood dream. I'm so happy I walked away with a broken wrist and didn't break my neck or have any serious brain injuries. I'm so excited about all of the possibilities open to me now that I have all of this free time."

There's always something to gain from any unfortunate situation - an ally that can assist you. For me, that ally became the isolation that my injury created.

Even though I had no money, I was rich with time.

I also realized the only way I was going to find my way back to any level of success would be to let go of old dreams and embrace something new, so I set my focus on the world of business, marketing and relationships.